BY A. ALLAN MARTINDear Fellow Leader:

Our former General Conference president, Jan Paulsen, said often during his administration, “We must give young adults meaningful roles within the church.” For most of his administration Paulsen hosted young adults in a Let’s Talk series of conversations in many parts of the world. Even though I support these fine and admirable gestures, we fail future generations if we offer only another round of conversations.
 
So I share this open letter with you—whether you are a volunteer leader in your local church or campus, or whether you serve as a ministry professional, educator, or administrator. I implore you to move beyond conversations about engaging youth and young adults. Specifically I’m asking you to tithe one or more of the following beginning today: (a) travel, (b) time, (c) Timothys, (d) telecasts, (e) talents.
 
Tithe Your Travel
Instead of taking that tenth speaking appointment or attending another committee meeting, invest that trip’s budget into the leadership development of a young adult. Youth departments at every level—from the General Conference to the local conference—offer training events for young adults.
 
Future leaders in the church have to be developed. Helping them make connections with youth and young adult ministries professionals, and giving them opportunities to mingle with others who share their passion for sharing Christ with their peers, are essential parts of leadership development.
 
Tithe Your Time
Offer a tenth of your time each week to mentoring a young adult. If you average a 40-hour workweek, set aside four hours this week—and every week—to nurture, apprentice, and encourage a young adult. Begin to pour yourself into the next generation. If you’re working a 60-hour week and are saying to yourself, There’s no way I can offer six hours each week to mentor a young adult, maybe you need to change your work habits/schedule.
 
Tithe Your Timothys
Empower a tenth of your young leadership to develop new generations. You may be in a situation in which you have a large team of young ministry leaders (i.e., a campus ministry or Student Association for an Adventist college or university). Ask your team to train, mentor, and nurture the young people who follow them in age. Set aside a tenth of the resources and efforts you give to minister to your campus/church and invest it in the next generation of leaders.
 
Tithe Your Telecasts
Dedicate a tenth of your broadcast time to intentionally disciple young adults. Knowing the integral role media plays in young lives, invest in nurturing their spiritual growth through music, television, film, drama, comedy, photography, literature, art, production, etc. Involve young adults in the production, creative, and technical aspects of your ministries’ outreach and nurture.

For some of you, the pulpit is where you broadcast the gospel. Afford at least a tenth of the worships in your church to involve young people. If you don’t have any youth in your church, more radical tithing may be in order.
 
Tithe Your Talents
Begin today to let a young person take your place. The classic parable admonishes us to multiply our talents, not bury them in the sand. Although often referring to talents as money, I offer here a hybrid application, noting that your skills, abilities, giftedness, and wisdom have to be invested in the next generation. Allow up-and-coming young adults to take roles you might easily and competently have taken. Give them the opportunity to take your place; begin at least with a tenth of your place.
 

Dear colleague, I am personally appealing to you to take seriously this tithing concept. If you are a Seventh-day Adventist leader, this request is for you. Whether travel, time, Timothys, telecasts, or talents, I ask that you put your tithing into practice today.
 
Thank you for your consideration. I share in advance my gratitude for your immediate action. Leaders best represent the Christ who relentlessly pursues new generations by transcending talk with tangible, transformational relationships.
 
May the God sought by young adults be found living among those who love Him with all their hearts. May Jesus be found living in and through you.
 
_________
A. Allan Martin is pastor of the Younger Generation Church, a ministry of the Arlington, Texas, Seventh-day Adventist Church. This article was published December 22, 2011.